Three of The Doctor
by oncoming-neatly-folded-swan
Summary: While chasing an unknown space whale looking thing, McKenzie and The Doctor end up on a strange planet, with some even stranger Time Lords. (Episode 9)


The Doctor and McKenzie held tightly onto the edges of the console as the TARDIS ripped through space as if trying desperately to shake them loose and fling them against the walls.

"We're closing in!" The Doctor shouted through gritted teeth as he clung for dear life to the monitor.

McKenzie pulled her way along the edge of the console towards The Doctor, "Oh– I think I'm gonna be sick! Where's the stabilizer?" She shouted, her eyes tightly shut as she fumbled with a selection of colourful buttons.

"No don't!" The Doctor pulled his way round to her, clinging to various panels and levers trying to keep them in place, "If we use the stabilizer we won't be going fast enough to catch up to it!"

"Well don't blame me if I–" the TARDIS threw them at a particularly sharp angle cutting her off, McKenzie covered her mouth.

The console screen started flashing red and alarms sounded around them.

"No..." he looked at the screen, "No, no, no!"

The Doctor swung the screen round to McKenzie, who caught it.

"Tell me what you see!" He demanded as he flipped over a collection of levers and spun a small wheel anti-clockwise.

"Sevens, Doctor... Lots of sevens. What does that mean?"

"It means _bad_ is what it means!"

"Ok, well what are we supposed to do about it?"

The Doctor pulled the lever and the TARDIS slowed to a stop, "It's gone, we've lost it." He shook his head and slammed his fist onto the console causing a small shower of sparks.

"How! How did we lose it? Why were we even chasing it?" McKenzie collapsed onto the bench beside the console, "Other than following its space wake."

"That creature–"

"Space Whale." McKenzie interjected.

"–Was causing dimensional conversions around very specific areas of space. It can dive through the walls between realities! Move seamlessly through the fabric of the universe with no regards for its surroundings!" The Doctor waved his hands as he spoke, trying unsuccessfully to curb his companion's glib. He sighed and rubbed his chin, "We had to observe it, whatever caused it to run off like that–"

"Setting off the potentially dangerous space whale alarm."

The Doctor offered her a slight glare and a grin, "Yes thank you, I realise that. The point is, a seemingly non-sentient life form with that kind of power? It just doesn't seem right. The way it moved its limbs, they almost seemed to ripple through different realities and–" he stopped abruptly.

"What...?" McKenzie asked, getting up from the bench.

He turned to face her looking uncharacteristically nervous.

"What is it, Doctor?"

"Say what you just said again please..." he said slowly.

McKenzie sighed, "Which?"

He grabbed her shoulders, "Why were we chasing it?"

"Following in its space wake?"

"McKenzie what happens when a whale breaches and dives back under the water?"

McKenzie furrowed her brow, "Well depending on the size of the whale, it creates ripples and– oh, Oh! Err..." She gritted her teeth.

"Exactly."

They both looked over to the screen.

"How long till impact?" she asked.

"Better brace yourself!"

They ran to the railings as the TARDIS shook violently, knocking them both from side to side. McKenzie felt the railing as it slipped through her fingers, she fell back and it felt like being pulled through a thick cloud of smoke.

The TARDIS stopped shaking, McKenzie picked herself up from the cold metal floor and rubbed her neck.

"Ugh, Doctor what was that?" she looked around but The Doctor wasn't there, "Doctor?"

"Whoa!" a man yelled, making her jump, "What a rush!" he jumped up from the floor and looked around frantically. "Wow, that's weird." He stopped, still not having noticed McKenzie, "Wooah... Wooow." He enunciated, stretching his mouth out, "That's weird, new tongue." He felt his face and gasped, "No wrinkles! I'm not old!" He set to the console again frantically searching for something, "Aha!" he pulled out a small hand mirror and admired himself, "Well hello there handsome! You come here often?" he rubbed his chin and checked his teeth with his tongue, "Beard... sort of pointy... and–" he pulled the mirror out further getting a better look at himself, "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

McKenzie stared and realised what was happening, this was The Doctor. Something had caused him to regenerate… but it all felt wrong. He was wearing different clothes and the TARDIS was different, all silver with flashing lights like a low budget sci-fi series.

"What was I thinking with these clothes?" The Doctor asked himself, "I look like a magician, and I dress like one too." He stopped talking to himself for a moment as he caught sight of McKenzie in the mirror, "Wow. Now I know I would have remembered you."

The TARDIS shook again and McKenzie was thrown back through the cloud. Again she was in the previous desktop, but there was no Doctor to be seen.

Suddenly the door burst open and an old man ran in carrying a bowler hat; his clothes were ripped to shreds. He slammed the doors and ran straight past McKenzie to the console.

"Well help me then!" He shouted in a thick Scottish accent, not even looking at her.

"Me?" Asked McKenzie.

"Yes you, of course you, I don't see anyone else in here staring blankly at me! We can discuss _who the hell you are_ when we're not about to get blown to little tiny pieces, and I assume since you _are_ here and you're part Time Lord you understand how to fly a TARDIS? So again, help me!"

"Right! Yes." McKenzie ran to the console and helped the old Time Lord escape, he seemed to know what he was doing with regards to staging a daring escape. There was much less throwing around and awkward rom-com-esq landings. When the shaking stopped he turned to her and said, "Now then, who exactly are you?"

But before she could even answer he doubled over in pain.

"Oh shoot, are you ok?" She ran to him.

"Don't come near me!" he snapped, looking back up at her. After what happened last time, she decided to do what he said.

He dropped to the floor and looked up at her, "Don't suppose it really matters who you are, you can explain to me later. Just make sure _that_ stays safe." He pointed to the bowler hat on the console, "I took it from the sharp people of that wonky planet we just left, they didn't know what kind of power they had." He doubled over again and looked at the golden glow in his hands, "I haven't got much time left... There was so much more that I wanted to do... I hope he manages to get them done." He looked up at McKenzie and winked, "Better make this a good one."

He cried out in pain as golden energy rushed from him.

McKenzie stood back as he changed into a new man. He stood, extremely tall, brownish hair and quite pale, almost matching her.

"Gosh, this one just keeps on going doesn't it?" He stuttered as he stood at his full height, "Ah, hello." He said noticing her.

In all the excitement, he hadn't realised that his tattered clothes had fallen to the floor, barely fitting him anymore.

McKenzie cleared her throat.

"What?" He turned to her, and she awkwardly looked up at the roof of the TARDIS. He looked up, then down at himself, "Oh yes of course... Do excuse me." He looked around, grabbed the bowler hat and used it to cover himself, "I'm having a little trouble seeing things properly..." He squinted at her, "So you were saying who you were?"

But again, before she could answer she was thrown again, this time ending up back in the TARDIS she remembered with The Doctor she remembered.

"McKenzie!" he exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug, "What happened?"

"You'll never guess where I've just been..." she said, offering him a confused shrug.


End file.
